Editing Ansar Dine

{{Evil Organization
|Box title    = Evil Organization
|image = Drapeau Ansar Dine.svg
|size   = 
|fullname = Ansar Dine
|alias =Anṣār ad-Dīn<br>Ançar Deen<br>Defenders of the Faith
|origin = Mali
|foundation = 2012
|dissolution = 2017
|headquarters = Timbuktu, Mali (formerly)
|commanders = [[Iyad Ag Ghaly]]
|agents =
|skills = Military training
|goals = Turn Mali into an Islamic theocracy (failed)
|crimes = [[War crimes]]<br>Human rights violations<br>Mass [[murder]]<br>[[Torture]]<br>Mutilation<br>[[Terrorism]]<br>[[Misogyny]]
|type of villain = Islamic Terrorists}}'''Ansar Dine''' (Arabic: أنصار الدين‎ ''Anṣār ad-Dīn'', also transliterated ''Ançar Deen''; meaning "helpers of the (Islamic) religion" or "defenders of the faith") also known as '''Ansar al-Din''' (abbreviated as AAD) was a [[militant Islam]]ist group led by [[Iyad Ag Ghaly]], one of the most prominent leaders of the Tuareg Rebellion (1990–1995) who is suspected of having ties to [[Al-Qaeda]] in the Islamic Maghreb, which is led by his cousin [[Hamada Ag Hama]].
==Ideology==
Ansar Dine seeks to impose strict Sharia law across Mali, including the Azawad region. Witnesses have said that Ansar Dine fighters wear long beards and fly black flags with the Shahada (Islamic creed) inscribed in white. According to different reports, unlike the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), Ansar Dine does not seek independence but rather to keep Mali intact and convert it into a rigid theocracy.

Ansar Dine has its main base among the Ifora tribe from the southern part of the Tuaregs' homeland. The group's members are reported to be from Mali, Algeria, and Nigeria. Omar Ould Hamaha, who served as Ansar Dine's spokesman after April 2012, became the military leader of the AQIM-affiliated [[Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa]] (MOJWA) in August 2012.
==Militant activities==
On 21 March 2012, the group claimed control of Mali's vast northeast regions. The Agence France-Presse reported that Ansar Dine claimed to occupy the towns of Tinzaouaten, Tessalit, and Aguelhok, all close to the Algerian border, and that they had captured at least 110 civilian and military prisoners. France accused the group of summarily executing 82 soldiers and civilians in capturing Aguelhok, describing the group's tactics as "Al-Qaeda-style".

On 22 March, mutineering Malian soldiers unhappy with Amadou Toumani Touré overthrew the Malian government in a ''coup d'état''. Taking advantage of Malian disarray, Ansar Dine and MNLA proceeded to take the towns of Kidal, Gao, and Timbuktu within the following ten days. According to Jeremy Keenan of the School of Oriental and African Studies, Ansar Dine's military contribution was slight compared to the much larger MNLA: "What seems to happen is that when they move into a town, the MNLA take out the military base—not that there's much resistance—and Iyad [Ag Aghaly] goes into town and puts up his flag and starts bossing everyone around about sharia law".

On 3 April, the BBC reported that the group had started implementing Sharia law in Timbuktu. That day, Ag Ghaly gave a radio interview in Timbuktu announcing that Sharia would be enforced in the city, including the veiling of women, the [[stoning]] of adulterers, and the punitive mutilation of thieves. According to Timbuktu's mayor, the announcement caused nearly all of Timbuktu's Christian population to flee the city. On 6 April, the MNLA issued a declaration of independence. However, the military wing of Ansar Dine rejected it hours after it was issued.

Ansar Dine was reportedly responsible for the burning of the tomb of a Sufi saint, a UNESCO World Heritage site, on 4 May in Timbuktu. The group also blocked a humanitarian convoy bringing medical and food aid from reaching Timbuktu on 15 May, objecting to the presence of women in the welcoming committee set up by city residents; after negotiations, the convoy was released on the following day. In Gao, the group reportedly banned video games, Malian and Western music, bars, and football.

On 24 January 2013, a faction calling itself the Islamic Movement for the Azawad split from Ansar Dine. As of January 2013, this group was led by prominent Tuareg leader Alghabass Ag Intalla.

In March 2013 it was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the U.S. Department of State, and similarly classed as a terrorist organization by the United Nations Security Council.

In Mopti, the Ansar Dine fighters obtained access to heavy construction equipment from fleeing construction workers and used them to build fighting positions. The fighting positions include an elaborate tunnel network and vehicular obstacles such as trenches.

Ansar Dine has reportedly put together at least one convoy of 100 vehicles carrying soldiers equipped with small arms. There have also been rumors that fighters may have been able to obtain weapons from Libya's weapons depots after the fall of [[Muammar Gaddafi]]. The Ansar Dine arsenal also includes anti aircraft weapons which can be mounted on pickup trucks.

Ansar Dine was dissolved in 2017, when it along with several other jihadist organizations merged to form [[Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin]].
[[Category:Organizations]]
[[Category:Anarchist]]
[[Category:Fanatics]]
[[Category:Military]]
[[Category:Terrorists]]
[[Category:Hegemony]]
[[Category:Chaotic Evil]]
[[Category:Extremists]]
[[Category:Misogynists]]
[[Category:Control Freaks]]
[[Category:Power Hungry]]
[[Category:Mutilators]]
[[Category:Mongers]]
[[Category:Arsonist]]
[[Category:Evil vs. Evil]]
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[[Category:Dissolved Organizations]]
[[Category:Cults]]
[[Category:Arrogant]]
[[Category:Murderer]]
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[[Category:Mass Murderers]]
[[Category:Destroyer]]
[[Category:Islam]]
[[Category:African Villains]]
[[Category:Villains of the War on Terror]]
[[Category:Torturer]]